DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 December) — The city’s landmark ordinances will become national policies if he wins in next year’s presidential election, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte said Sunday.
Speaking during his TV program “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa,” Duterte said these would include the ordinances on smoking ban in certain areas, speed limit, curfew for minors and ban on firecrackers and firing of guns during Christmas and New Year celebrations.
“There will be designated areas for smoking but not the contained areas. Davao is even stricter because it includes public places… you get arrested while smoking on the streets.
“If you are smoking, you are addicted to nicotine, you have fix for that day, your body will long for it in moments of stress, merrymaking and drinking,” he said.
Duterte said he will adopt a stricter no-smoking policy in public and contained areas to protect the health and wellness of the people who inhale the “poison in the room” citing that nicotine causes cancer.
“I would be lenient on the requirements of the smoking areas. Everybody will hate me for that. In the face of dire warning about cancer, dili mo motou nako so be it. Naa ko patakaran nga dili pud nako i-barter (If you don’t follow, so be it. I have rules that I cannot compromise),” he added.
Even tobacco companies might go against him as a presidential bet, Duterte said.
“If you want to protect the public, you have to be brutal about it. I do not see any reason why we should allow the perpetration of an activity that is deleterious to human health and dangerous to human life,” he said.
On the indiscriminate firing of guns, he said it must be banned because it might kill innocent victims.
“What goes up must come down. There’s always a possibility of killing a human being,” he said.
The mayor said in jest:“It’s going to be a silent night because Jesus was born. Ang bata makurat na og buto (the child would be shocked by explosions), he would cry. Do you want Jesus Christ to cry?
The PDP-Laban standard-bearer said he plans to restore old provisions of the Juvenile Justice Law on the ages of minor suspects that can be held liable for crimes.
He said it should be above 9 and below 12 years because minors at this age “raped and killed people with malice.”
“We will go back to the old law and deal with the correctional facilities. They will be prosecuted as adult offenders,” he said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)